Early clinical experience with postoperative monitoring of a patient after laparoscopic splenectomy combined with spleen autotransplantation. A case report

We performed splenectomy combined with spleen autotransplantation after blunt abdominal trauma by minimally invasive technique at the County Teaching Hospital in Kecskemét. In case of advanced post traumatic spleen injury, spleen autotransplantation (Furka's spleen chips) is a well-known method to try to avoid postsplenectomy syndrome. During the operation, when in situ preservation of the spleen is not possible, chips of spleen tissue are transplanted into the omentum. Function of the transplanted spleen tissue was monitored by scintigraphy. We describe two different types of spleen scintigraphy to check the viability of spleen chips.     

Primary pulmonary hydatid cysts in children—a report of three cases

Three children with a total of six primary pulmonary hydatid cysts, all of whom underwent surgical management, are presented. Of these six hydatid cysts, two were treated with thoracotomy with cyst enucleation and capittonage, three with thoracoscopy-assisted minithoracotomy with enucleation and capittonage, and one with limited resection.     

The stages of comprehensive periodontal therapy--diagnosis-driven treatment planning

The rationale and the stages of the comprehensive periodontal treatment are overviewed. The consecutive phases are logically following each other. Basically three major therapeutical categories can be established, such as: 1. absolutely healthy from periodontal point of view, 2. gingivitis, 3. periodontitis. Within the periodontitis group the basic principles and strategies are totally different for the management of chronic and aggressive periodontitis cases. Principally the comprehensive periodontal therapy can be divided into four main phases: phase I. initial or cause related therapy, phase II. surgical therapy, phase III. periodontal reconstruction, and phase IV. periodontal maintenance. The classic non-surgical and surgical techniques can cure inflammation, arrest the progression of periodontal destruction and restore gingival-periodontal health, and the outcome is quite predictable for gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. The long-lasting results are dependent on the patients' motivation and maintenance. The late therapeutical results and the maintenance of aggressive periodontitis cases are less predictable. Technically the vertical component of the bone loss can be fully corrected by regenerative surgical techniques. So far the horizontal bone loss should be considered as an irreversible feature as no periodontal regenerative techniques are available to restore the lost alveolar crest and interdental septa.     

Semaphorin-3F is an inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis

The neuropilin-1 (np1) and neuropilin-2 (np2) receptors form complexes with type-A plexins. These complexes serve as signaling receptors for specific class-3 semaphorins. Np1 and np2 function in addition as receptors for heparin-binding forms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), such as VEGF(165). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) express tyrosine-kinase receptors for VEGF and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), as well as np1, np2, and several type-A plexins. We have found that semaphorin-3F (s3f), a semaphorin which signals through the np2 receptor, was able to inhibit VEGF(165), as well as bFGF-induced proliferation of HUVECs. Furthermore, s3f inhibited VEGF as well as bFGF-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2. Our experiments indicate that bFGF does not bind to neuropilins, nor does s3f inhibit the binding of bFGF to FGF receptors. It is therefore possible that s3f inhibits the activity of bFGF by a mechanism that requires active s3f signal transduction rather than by inhibition of bFGF binding to FGF receptors. s3f also inhibited VEGF(165), as well as bFGF-induced in vivo angiogenesis as determined by the alginate micro-encapsulation and Matrigel plug assays. Overexpression of s3f in tumorigenic human HEK293 cells inhibited their tumor-forming ability but not their proliferation in cell culture. The tumors that did develop from s3f-expressing HEK293 cells developed at a much slower rate and had a significantly lower concentration of tumor-associated blood vessels, indicating that s3f is an inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis.     

Osteoporosis: a risk factor for periodontal disease (literature review)

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem all over the world. Caucasian women have the highest risk. Osteoporosis affects about 10% of the total population but the prevalence among postmenopausal women is more than 30%. It had long been stated that general osteoporosis played no role in the etiology of destructive periodontitis with inflammatory nature. Nevertheless a substantial number of publications in recent years indicated just an opposite relationship. It has been shown that total body calcium and bone density was closely associated with mandibular bone density and several studies have demonstrated close relationship between edentulism and systemic osteopenia. Certain data showed clear relationship between osteoporosis and periodontal disease, and osteoporosis is considered as one of the risk factors for periodontal bone loss. Both osteoporosis and periodontal disease are chronic multifactorial diseases with many genetic and behavioral risk factors and determinants. Both diseases can be successfully controlled by eliminating several risk factors. Estrogen replacement therapy can be protective against both postmenopausal osteoporosis and severe periodontitis in postmenopausal women. Tobacco smoking and diet are also important risk factors for both diseases and genetic factors have also been identified as important risk factors in the etiology of both diseases. Recent epidemiological and clinical data provides limited but convincing evidence suggesting an association between osteoporosis and periodontal disease, and many common risk factors could have been detected in the etiology of both diseases.     

Treatment of periodontitis associated with cyclosporin-induced severe gingival hyperplasia with regular mechanical plaque removal in a patient with renal transplantation (Case report)

A clinical case of a middle-aged kidney transplanted woman is presented. The woman has been taking Cyclosporin-A for over 13 years and has had advanced periodontitis and severe gingival swellings and gingival inflammation. The kidney transplant patient was treated and followed up for approx. four years. The treatment protocol included very thorough mechanical scaling and root planing, oral hygienic instructions and the regular professional maintenance program resulted in complete remission of the gingival overgrowth and stabilization of the periodontal condition. The gingival and periodontal conditions showed a continuing improvement over the time despite of the continuous CSA administration.     

Multiple papilloma larynx

Multiple papilloma of larynx is caused by human papilloma virus. We treated sixteen such cases (10 males and six females) in the last 10 years. All presented with hoarseness while six presented with difficulty in respiration. Three patients needed tracheostomy, all had difficult decanulation, and one developed laryngotracheal stenosis and could not be decanulated. All were treated by surgical excision; ten had recurrence. Four patients were treated with post operative Acyclovir with no recurrence in three cases.     

Non-competitive pharmacological antagonism at the rabbit B(1) receptor

The B(1) receptor for kinins, stimulated by kinin metabolites without the C-terminal Arg residue (e.g., des-Arg(9)-bradykinin (BK) and Lys-des-Arg(9)-BK), is an increasingly recognized molecular target for the development of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs. Recently developed antagonists of this receptor were compared to a conventional antagonist, Ac-Lys-[Leu(8)]-des-Arg(9)-BK, in pharmacological assays based on the rabbit B(1) receptor. B-9858 (Lys-Lys-[Hyp(3), Igl(5), D-Igl(7), Oic(8)]des-Arg(9)-BK) and three other analogues possessing the alpha-2-indanylglycine(5) (Igl(5)) residue (order of potency B-9858 approximately B-10146>B-10148>B-10050) were partially insurmountable antagonists of des-Arg(9)-BK in the contractility assay based on rabbit aortic rings. B-9858-induced depression of the maximal effect was more pronounced in tissues treated with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide to block the spontaneous increase of response attributed to the post-isolation formation of B(1) receptors, and only partly reversible on washing. By comparison, Ac-Lys-[Leu(8)]des-Arg(9)-BK was a surmountable antagonist (pA(2) 7. 5), even in cycloheximide-treated tissues. B-9958 (Lys-[Hyp(3), CpG(5), D-Tic(7), CpG(8)]des-Arg(9)-BK) was also surmountable (pA(2) 8.5). The binding of [(3)H]-Lys-des-Arg(9)-BK to recombinant rabbit B(1) receptors expressed in COS-1 cells was influenced by two of the antagonists: while Ac-Lys-[Leu(8)]des-Arg(9)-BK competed for the radioligand binding without affecting the B(max), B-9858 decreased the B(max) in a time-dependent and washout-resistant manner. B-9858 and analogues possessing Igl(5) are the first reported non-competitive, non-equilibrium antagonists of the kinin B(1) receptor.